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Suppliant Women is an early, and the only surviving, play
in a connected tetralogy that treated the myth of the Danaids, the
daughters of Danaus who marry their cousins, the sons of Aegyptus,
only to kill them on their wedding night. The fourth play, a
comedic performance in which satyrs formed the chorus, dramatized
how the god Poseidon saved the Danaid Amymone from rape and then
seduced her. Suppliant Women was once thought to be the
oldest extant Greek drama due to its preponderance of sung lyrics,
archaic composition, and sparing use of its second speaking actor
as compared to the three actors of later tragedy. A fragmentary
notice published in 1952 (Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 2256 fr. 3),
however, places the …

1777Suppliant Maidens3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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